Dental clamp



Sept, M 1953 H. c. PETERSON DENTAL CLAMP Filed July 30, 1952 ZNVENTOR Howard C. Pefiersow,

BY V/MQUVZ may ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DENTAL CLAMP Howard 0. Peterson, Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

Application July 30, 1952, Serial No. 301,742

1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to surgical appliances, and more particularly to dental clamps used particularly for holding a dental matrix in conformity with the surface of a tooth.

In filling certain types of teeth with plastic fillings, flexible narrow bands or ribbons are used to hold the fillings in place in the cavities until the fillings have set or become hardened. Dental matrix ribbons commonly used are in light sheet form and are generally made of plastic.

The present invention is for a clamp used for this purpose and one of the objects sought is to provide such a clamp so that it will effectively fit in place and produce the desired result without interfering with the dentist who is performing his work and without annoying the patient.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp of the above mentioned class which will be extremely simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, which will not only hold With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the application and in which similar reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a side view of the clamp of this invention engaging the matrix strip,

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dental clamp of this invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a set of upper teeth I is shown. The tooth A thereof has a plastic filling 2 therein, the filling being retained therein until hardened by a plastic ribbon or matrix band 3. The matrix band 3 is a narrow short strip of one of the synthetic resins, which is strong although it has a relatively soft surface. The matrix band 3 is held tightly around the tooth A with the filling therein by the clamp of this invention designated as C. Said clamp comprises a circular spring metal body 4 having at each end beaks or jaws 5, the upper or outer ends 5 of the beaks or jaws 5 being in contact with each other when the resilient metal body 4 is not in the clamped position. The beaks or jaws 5 project substantially at right angles from the ends. Said beaks or jaws 5 have serrations I on their inner coacting faces to engage and grip the plastic matrix strip 3.

The use of the clamp C is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein after the filling 2 has been placed in the cavity 01 the tooth A, the plastic matrix strip is placed in the recess between the tooth A and tooth B and the ends of the plastic matrix strip are carried around the tooth A and adjacent the tooth shown to the right of tooth A. ihereafter the resilient metal clip C is expanded by the dentist by using the projections D to open the spring member C so that the ends 6 of the beaks or jaws 5 separate and the clamp is placed in the patients mouth to engage the matrix strip as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in dotted lines. The serrations l on the beaks or jaws 5 engage and imbed themselves in the plastic strip and because of the resiliency of the spring in the body 4 of the clamp C, the matrix strip is tightened and assumes the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the matrix clamp engages the tooth by the beaks or jaws 5 being made converging so that said beaks or jaws will contact that portion of the labial and lingual surfaces that converge gingivally.

As the main portion of the clamp C is at right angles to the beaks or jaws 5, the body of the clamp lies parallel to the row of teeth of the patient and therefore is not objectionable to the patient and does not interfere with the work of the dentist. The operating projections D are cup-shaped pieces which are welded or soldered to the resilient member 4 so that the operator or dentist can open the spring member 4 and thereby have the projections 5 of the spring member 4 engage the plastic matrix strip 3. These operating projections extend downwardly, i. e., at right angles to the spring member 4 and in a reverse position from the jaws or beaks 5.

What I claim is:

In a matrix clamp comprising a circular resilient metal body member, serrated jaws formed on the ends of the resilient body member, at substantially right angles to said body member, the outer ends of said jaws contacting each other, and manipulating members for the resilient body member comprising projections extending downwardly at right angles from the resilient body member and in opposite direction from the serrated jaws thereof.

HOWARD C. PETERSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,970,875 Andaloro Aug. 21, 1934 2,618,065 McAfee Nov. 18, 1952 

